Alice-Miranda Holds the Key 15

by Jacqueline Harvey

  She arrived home on Friday night and was surprised to find the house empty until the children burst through the back door with Daisy Rumble close behind.

  ‘Mama!’ Martha squealed, racing to her mother, who scooped her up. She nuzzled the toddler’s clean little body, taking in the powdery baby smell that she hadn’t quite outgrown.

  ‘Where have you lot been?’ she asked, as Daisy led the children into the house.

  ‘We’ve been at Alice-Miranda’s,’ Leo said. ‘She’s a princess and she lives in a palace and I’m making her a special drawing.’

  Daisy laughed. ‘No, she’s not, but I think someone’s got a big crush on her.’

  ‘I don’t crush her. I love her,’ the boy insisted. ‘And I need some paper.’ Leo disappeared to search for some.

  Adrienne smiled in mild bewilderment. She could never get over the mixture of joy and guilt at seeing her beautiful children.

  They entered the kitchen and Daisy flicked on the kettle. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be home tonight, but I’m glad you are. I have to be up at the crack of dawn for the garden party tomorrow.’

  ‘What garden party?’ Adrienne asked, stifling a yawn.

  ‘The one at Alice-Miranda’s house,’ Dottie piped up. ‘Daddy’s taking us and you have to come too because her mummy and daddy have bought you a special present.’

  Adrienne blinked, then it dawned on her – the Kennington-Jones child.

  ‘How do you have your tea, Dr Treloar?’ Daisy asked. ‘I’ll make you a cup and then put the children to bed.’

  ‘Milk, no sugar,’ the woman said absently. She put Martha down on the floor and the little girl ran into the sitting room to play. ‘So where have you all been exactly?’

  ‘I’ve been helping out at the Hall to get ready for tomorrow,’ Daisy explained. ‘Alice-Miranda and two of her friends and Dottie have been watching the children for a couple of hours in the crossover time between when Bentley – I mean, Mr Treloar – had to leave for work and I finished up. We’ve got loads done and the children have had the most wonderful time.’ Daisy smiled and handed the woman her tea.

  ‘I see,’ Adrienne said, taking it all in. ‘And no one thought to ask me how I felt about that arrangement? I’m paying you to look after the children, Daisy, not a bunch of nine-year-olds.’

  Daisy looked at the woman in surprise. ‘I – I’m sorry, Dr Treloar. I had assumed your husband had told you. I assure you the girls have done a brilliant job and the children have been so happy.’

  ‘Of course they’re happy,’ Adrienne retorted. ‘They’ve been playing in a mansion with a little girl who lives like a princess, no less, having ridiculous thoughts put into their heads.’ She picked up her cup and stared into her tea.

  ‘Would you like me to put the children to bed?’ Daisy asked after a while. The woman was obviously tired and out of sorts.

  ‘No, I’ll do it,’ Adrienne said frostily.

  ‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow at the party. It’s going to be lots of fun – especially now that everything is back to normal with Kennington’s and all those poor people are better,’ Daisy said.

  Adrienne slammed down her teacup impatiently, causing Daisy to jump. ‘We won’t be going tomorrow.’

  ‘But we have to!’ Leo protested. He had wandered into the kitchen, clutching a ragged sheet of paper, and heard what his mother said. ‘Alice-Miranda is taking me on a hay ride, and Daddy said that we could go.’ The boy stamped his foot and his bottom lip began to tremble.

  ‘Stop that nonsense, Leo,’ Adrienne ordered. ‘Daddy had no business taking you there this week. He should have told me and I would have arranged someone more reliable to look after you.’ She shot Daisy a glare.

  Daisy trembled. ‘I think that’s a little unfair, Dr Treloar. Your husband has been working very long hours to make sure that the factory was clear of any contamination. And I had to help out. Highton Hall – well, Rose Cottage, which is on the estate – is my home.’

  Adrienne rolled her eyes and scoffed. ‘What do you think I’ve been doing? Did you know that I was the one who cracked the case? If it wasn’t for my research, they might never have found the solution. And I don’t know why you’d want to live there with that lot. Hugh Kennington-Jones is nothing but a double-dealing swindler.’

  Daisy was at a loss as to what to say. Never in her life had she thought she’d hear anyone utter such words about Hugh Kennington-Jones. ‘I’d better get going,’ she said, hastily picking up her things. ‘Goodnight, kids. See you in the morning.’ She prised Martha’s tiny fingers from around her waist and knelt down to wipe Leo’s tears.

  ‘Kiss?’ he said.

  Daisy pecked the boy’s cheek, avoiding his mother’s piercing gaze.

  ‘I love you, Daisy.’ Leo reached out and hugged her tightly around the neck.

  ‘I have to go, sweetheart,’ Daisy said, and hurried out the door, not daring to look back.

  The morning of the garden party couldn’t have been more glorious nor any busier. The girls were up early and, along with the rest of the adults, were allocated a final range of jobs by Shilly to make sure that everything was in order. Alice-Miranda, Millie and Chessie were to double-check that the upstairs bedroom doors were locked and the rope barriers were all in place.

  ‘Now, I’m going to put you in charge of the keys,’ Shilly said to Alice-Miranda. Hanging from a round metal ring, this particular bundle was just for the bedrooms on the second and third floors. ‘But I think Charlotte will likely need the twins’ room kept open, as they’ll be up for their nap time later in the day.’

  ‘I’ll put them back into the cabinet once we’re all done,’ Alice-Miranda promised, taking them from Shilly.

  ‘Good girl.’ The woman gave a smile, which was a rare sight from her during the past few days.

  ‘At least the weather has been kind to us this year,’ Alice-Miranda said brightly.

  ‘Thank heavens I won’t be cleaning mud out of the carpets for months.’ Shilly winked. ‘And I think that staircase could do with one final polish, if you know what I mean.’

  Millie gasped and her eyes lit up. ‘Can we borrow your stopwatch?’ she asked.

  Shilly nodded and reached into her apron pocket. She handed over the stopwatch as well as a folded piece of paper. ‘You’ll be needing this too. But no riding the banister for you, Alice-Miranda. This is Millie and Chessie’s race.’

  ‘Too late, Shilly – I’ve already been on there twice this week.’ Alice-Miranda grinned. ‘I’ve totally regained my balance, although I’m being very careful on the dismount.’

  Shilly shook her head. ‘You’ll be the death of me one day, young lady.’

  The girls giggled and one by one leapt onto the banister, timing each other as they whizzed down the rail. Millie was the fastest and even beat Jacinta’s record, which she couldn’t wait to announce the minute they got back to school. The trio then charged up the stairs to Alice-Miranda’s room to get ready for the big day.

  Cecelia had arranged three beautiful dresses, each of them white with different coloured sashes and trims. Alice-Miranda’s had mid-length sleeves, a green bow around the middle and pretty pink flowers that danced along the hem. Millie’s dress was a sleeveless design with a pattern of broderie anglaise all over, and Chessie’s had full-length sleeves and a trimming of pink satin ribbon. They helped one another into their outfits and slipped into their matching ballet flats, before Cecelia styled their hair. Her own dress was a gorgeous floral frock with a cinched waist and full skirt.

  ‘Perfect.’ Cecelia smiled as she placed the last of the three floral garlands on top of Millie’s flame-red hair. ‘Chessie, I’ve got to get my hat, but I’ll be back in a few minutes to take you downstairs to meet Miss Plunkett in Hugh’s study.’

  ‘And Millie and I will finish checking things up here,’ Alice-Miranda added.

  Cecelia gave a wave and dashed out the door.

  Alice-Miranda took Chessie’s hands into her own
and gave them a squeeze. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Fine, I think. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to say to my uncle if I see him,’ the girl confessed.

  ‘He’ll hopefully do most of the talking,’ Millie said, trying to make her feel better. ‘If he comes, that is.’

  Chessie nodded. She wished the butterflies in her stomach would settle down. ‘I can hardly believe it was only a week ago when I was hiding out in the barn and planning to never see my mother again. She’s been through so much and I was such a wimp.’

  ‘No, you weren’t,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘It was a horrible situation and I think you were very brave.’

  ‘Well, I feel a lot braver now, especially since I have two amazing new friends.’ Chessie hugged the girls.

  Cecelia poked her head around the door. ‘Ready?’

  Chessie took a deep breath and hurried out to join her.

  Marjorie Plunkett arrived at the house just after nine. She and Jemima were confident they’d laid a good-enough trail for the man. One of Marjorie’s agents was stationed in Penberthy Floss and had been instructed to follow Desmond and there were others ready for when he arrived. To err on the side of caution, Marjorie had decided to fit Chessie with a tiny microphone beneath her clothes.

  ‘Do you really think he’s going to come looking for me?’ Chessie asked nervously.

  Jemima nodded, biting a nail. ‘He’s been asking about you every day. I keep wondering what you could possibly have that he’s after.’

  Chessie couldn’t think of anything either. The last time she’d seen her uncle, he hadn’t given her any presents.

  Hugh and Anthony walked into the room as Marjorie was finishing up.

  ‘Are you sure Chessie’s going to be safe?’ Anthony asked, frowning with concern. In the few days he’d got to know his stepdaughter, he’d already grown very fond of her.

  ‘I’ve got agents crawling all over the garden and there’ll be some in the house too,’ Marjorie assured him. ‘If and when he approaches Chessie, we’ll have eyes and ears on both of them.’

  There was a knock on the door, and Alice-Miranda poked her head in and smiled. She and Millie had left them to it while they’d done a last-minute check upstairs. ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked.

  ‘Chessie, why don’t you go with the girls and have a look around outside?’ Marjorie suggested.

  Chessie turned to her mother, who hugged the child tightly.

  ‘We’ll come too,’ Jemima said, ‘but don’t worry, we’ll keep a safe distance.’

  Anthony and Jemima exited the room with Chessie and the girls, leaving Hugh and Marjorie alone.

  ‘Do you really think Berwick’s likely to give up any of his secrets to Chessie today?’ Hugh asked.

  Marjorie’s mouth was set in a grim line. She wasn’t entirely sure, but it was all they had. ‘We can only hope. Jemima has risked a lot the past year. I really want her to feel as if it was all worthwhile.’

  Outside, the garden party was in full swing. A jazz band struck up on the front lawn and there were men and women arriving in their Sunday best, armed with hats and gloves and parasols. Little did they know the drama that was about to unfold.

  Meanwhile, at the Treloar residence, Bentley’s plans to take the children to Highton Hall weren’t shaping up as well as he’d hoped. When he’d arrived home from work that morning, his wife had been full of accusations. For the life of him, Bentley couldn’t understand why she was so upset. She’d got her promotion, which had been the most important thing in the world to her. Adrienne should have been happy but she wasn’t at all.

  ‘Adie, please, I promised the children we’d take them, and Hugh has asked to have a quiet meeting with you as well,’ Bentley begged.

  His wife glared at him. ‘Why? Because he’s finally realised that at least one of us in this family is a genius?’

  Bentley could feel his resentment rising. ‘What? You think it was all your own idea?’ he muttered.

  ‘Well, I didn’t see you working around the clock to get to the bottom of it,’ Adrienne retorted. ‘If your venture hadn’t been such a spectacular failure then I wouldn’t have to work so hard.’

  Bentley exhaled. He didn’t want to say something he’d regret, but his wife was pushing all of his buttons. He was also worried he’d misplaced a page of his notes. He knew he’d brought it home and he thought he’d put it in the shed, but the piece of paper wasn’t there.

  ‘No, of course you’re right,’ he said.

  ‘And if Hugh Kennington-Jones hadn’t diddled you out of what you were due, maybe I could spend more time at home with the children,’ she added.

  ‘I sold him that concept for a good price, Adie. I wasn’t to know that his team would improve it and be able to get a worldwide patent,’ Bentley said, as he had done many times before. ‘And he gave me a job.’

  ‘You were sold up the river!’ she hissed. ‘And now you want to attend the scoundrel’s garden party.’

  In the kitchen the children were all wailing and sobbing. Adrienne tried to hold on to her resolve, but she couldn’t stand it another minute.

  ‘Fine!’ she shouted. ‘Let’s go.’

  Within seconds Bentley had the kids in the car. ‘We don’t have to stay long,’ he said, patting his wife’s leg.

  She flinched as if he’d just poked her with a cattle prod.

  In the back seat, Dottie gulped. She hated it when her parents fought. And she hated that she liked it much better when her mother was away for work.

  ‘Let’s go and have a lovely day,’ Bentley said, mustering all the cheer he could.

  ‘Yeah, lovely day!’ Leo parroted, quickly followed by Martha. The boy scrunched up his nose and patted his jacket pocket. ‘And I’ve got a present for Alice-Miranda.’

  Desmond Berwick smoothed the moustache onto the top of his lip and checked that his hairpiece was secure. He placed the glasses on the tip of his nose and turned sideways in the mirror before scanning the full-page advertisement for this year’s garden party event. So many waiters, so much tea to be served. So fortunate that he’d learned a trick or two during his recent time away.

  He peered through the gap in the curtains. The car out the front had been sitting there for the past three days. If that fellow worked for him, he’d have been sacked a long time ago. Bentley had walked past the vehicle twice yesterday and the dopey chap hadn’t even glanced up from his magazine. Talk about making yourself conspicuous.

  Desmond strode out the back door and around to the carport. Dear Mrs Mogg, the woman who owned the shop next door, was such a kind soul. When he’d mentioned that he had got a job working at the garden party but no way of getting there, the sweet lady had offered to loan him her husband’s old banger. Clyde was minding the shop for the day while Mrs Mogg was leaving early to help out at the Hall, so he was welcome to it. Mustard-brown wasn’t exactly Desmond’s colour of choice, but as long as he could get where he needed to go, he didn’t care.

  Desmond puttered out of the Moggs’ driveway and nodded to the chap out the front. The man looked up from his newspaper and nodded back.

  It didn’t take long to reach Highton Hall and it certainly wasn’t hard to find. Desmond flashed his ID and was directed to park in an area cordoned off for staff.

  ‘You’ll need to report to Mrs Oliver. She’s in the marquee on the front lawn and will point you to whichever team you’re part of,’ a fellow advised.

  Desmond drove through and parked the car. He hopped out and stood there for a moment, taking in his new surroundings. A chirpy young woman got out of the car beside him and smiled.

  ‘Hi there,’ she said. ‘Beautiful day for it.’

  ‘It certainly is,’ Desmond replied, grinning. In just a few hours, he would have what he needed and be gone. His silly sister could weep all she wanted, but he hadn’t worked this hard for this long to end up broke and slaving away at some dead-end job for the rest of his life.

  Desmond followed a
trail of workers to the marquee, where a sturdy woman with a lilting Irish accent was giving instructions, and soon found himself setting tables. He hoped he would be able to get out of there and find a way into the main house. Chessie could have been anywhere, but her belongings were bound to be inside. It was fortunate Mrs Mogg had mentioned having met the girl at Highton Hall, where she was staying with some brat called Alice-Miranda for the weekend. He wondered what Jemima was playing at, keeping Chessie away from him. As luck would have it, it wasn’t long before the Irish woman asked him to fetch some more cakes from the kitchen.

  ‘Have you seen anyone that looks like your uncle?’ Millie asked as the girls wandered about the stalls.

  Chessie shook her head. ‘Maybe he’s not coming. Mummy and Miss Plunkett might’ve got it wrong.’

  ‘Why don’t we just have a lovely time?’ Alice-Miranda suggested. ‘Granny’s due soon with Aunty Gee, who’s coming especially for the relaunching of the foundation. I can’t wait to see them both.’

  Millie turned to Chessie. ‘Don’t worry, Aunty Gee’s the best. She’s really funny and she loves to dress up too. And she sent me this beautiful bracelet for helping Alice-Miranda when she had her accident.’ Millie held out her arm, showing off the little gold band.

  Chessie wondered why Millie was cautioning her about the old woman and, on the contrary, felt slightly alarmed.

  ‘There’s Aunt Charlotte and the twins,’ Alice-Miranda said, leading the way over to them.

  ‘Asmanda!’ Imogen bleated. She had Rodney clamped under one arm in a headlock.

  Chessie looked at the toy and felt a pang in her chest.

  ‘I am so sorry, sweetheart,’ Charlotte apologised. ‘I have tried to get her to give him up, but she has a complete meltdown each time. I’ve never known her to be so attached to anything. I promise he won’t be coming with us when we leave tomorrow. Alice-Miranda told me Rodney is yours and I feel terrible that my little monster has hijacked him.’